Voyeurism consists of spying on people with indecent intent while they are engaged in what are considered private activities, such as undressing or going to the bathroom. Thanks to technology anyone can snap a picture or a video of someone else without their knowledge and millions of women are finding themselves victims of voyeurs. In fact, thousands of photographs are being posted online with their consent.
In the United States, the Video Voyeurism Prevention Act makes it a misdemeanor for a person having the intent to capture an image of a private area of an individual without their consent under circumstances in which the individual has a sense of privacy. These days almost everyone carries a small camera capable of snapping pictures and recording video regardless no matter where they are.
Voyeurs often get a camera low enough to snap pictures under women’s skirts or dresses by hiding them from view on gym bags or in their own sneakers while walking behind them. Others may place a tiny camera under the table where you are sitting to film you. It is quite scary but you should always be aware of your surroundings and be aware of who’s close to you at all times.
Cameras are very small and can be hidden almost anywhere in bathrooms, showers, hotel rooms and changing rooms in clothing stores. Cameras are now really small and are designed to be difficult to detect but, if you do find you one keep in mind to stay calm, cover the camera’s lens and notify the local police.
Mobile phones now have built-in cameras for snapping pictures and taking videos making it even easier for voyeurs to record you. In the US, a proposed law would require such devices to produce a loud shutter sound when snapping pictures without letting users disable such sound. Some phones already sport this feature and, along with the low, it is aimed at reducing the instances of upskirting, a voyeur practice that has become quite popular, where a video or photograph is taken to expose the up skirt view and private areas of a woman.
Unfortunately, laws like the Video Voyeurisms Prevention Act do not go far enough because they only make it a crime to capture naked or undergarment covered images of a person where the person has an expectation of privacy. For example, a woman standing at an ice cream booth caught a man who had lowered his video camera and was secretly filming up her dress. Believe it or not, he is not guilty of a crime because the law does not apply to filming people in public places, even if it is underneath their clothes.
Here are four steps you can take to avoid being exposed in public:
- Be aware of your surroundings
- Be conscious of who is behind you and don’t allow anyone to stand too close to you.
- On escalators, turn sideways while holding onto the rails to observe those behind you.
- While sitting in a public place be conscious of how you position your legs if you are wearing a dress or skirt.
